The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-04-05

ternal applications. which naturally
tended TO allay thirst, To some degree
quoted such pains a the sense of hun
/ ger might have been expected To pro-
, duce. for they included strong infus-
ions of laudanum. During this month
; of absolute fasting the temperature and
the pulse were natural. His mind
seemed To retain it, full strength.
He occupied himself good deal in
his private concerns" SAYS the account
from which have obtained these par
:cUlars. the "PenEy ClycloPcdia, ~
land. as usual, interested himself IN
public affairs" To husband his
strength as much Is possible, he was
advised to he much i'm bed: but, until
the last few days of his life, he dressed
and redressed daily. and not only
walked about his room. but through the
house. His nights were quiet, his
sleep sound and apparently refresh
ing.
Before the delirium set in which
uShered in the final stages of his fast,
the patient had very pleasant dreams,
"A popularity of which was that they
affected him as realities, insomuch that
though told by his friends that they
were but dreams he could not for more
than 4 moment or two remain sure that
this was the ease. He laughed heartily
at the recollection of the merry Jokes
which had passed during gay meet
ing he had had-as he supposed, with
two Yorkshire Baronets whom he dined,
and told with glee (Which, considering
his approaching end, seems almost to
merit the peculiar descriptive term
ghOulish, recently applied to the Presi-
dent,) how they had pushed about the
bottle.
The mental indifference indicated by
the inability to distinguish dreams from
realities passed rapidly into delirium.
during which he was perpetually NUT
tering in indistinct tones, with great
restlessness and agitation. There were
now marked signs of fever, the skin
and eXtremities being sometimes of
burning heat and sometimes cold and
clammy. His pulse became feeble and
irregular, and his respiration WAS for
lie first time during the progress of his
illness laboTiouS and painful. He be-
came croSS-eyed on the thirty-third day
1f total abstinence from food. and com
piained that he saw double. but the
scnSitivcn">s of the retina was in
creased, not, as one might have ex-
peeled would be- the case. diminished,
insGmuch that. though till this stage of
his illness l." had borne we'll the light |
which came through the window of his !
bedroom. hr ShIi,,led now when the !
Nindow-blimd WAS drawn.
In this cI~r, as have said. we have
stronger evidence of the power which |
the human frame possesses To endure !
deprivation of food than any of the fool /
iSh fasting men of regent times have !
afforded, bccaiISc they have all taken |
liquid food, whereas. except from his I
bath (Which. a. he said. produced in
him the most delightful -enSationS). /
our patient had no relief from either /
hunger or thirst.
The other case shall cite. while re-
the Hastings of Succi. Tanner |
and Merlatii in being a fast from solid 4
food only-a~ also in being voluntary
was more remarkable than theirs in be-
inc of much longer duration. A Young
man of StudiOus and melancholy ma
ture began somewhat severe course
Of abstinence 10 cure certain painful ,
of indigestion by which he
WAS trJuIlr,l. His plan wa> to abstain
from >aid food for time. taking only
IA little wafer daily. into which some
orange Juice had been squeezed. From
the amount given 10y DR.. William super
>tition as well a. indigestion would
seem To have had something 10 do with
the form of folly into which this plan
presently developed. The Young man
ciety IF his friends. took lodgings in
an obscure street. anal entered on
system of continued fasting. enlivencd
hy shorthand writing. He began Ia
had proceeded as far a. the second book
nf Kings when circumstances over
which, by that time, he had no control
induced him to deSist. He persisted in
his plan for fifty-onc days withon, fail
ing in firmness of purpose. But about
this time, finding his strength failing
him. aud that he was no longer able To
rise from his bed. he began {" suspect
that he might be mistaken in imagin-
ing-as until NOW hr had done that
he WAS prctcrnaturally supported and
WAS presently Ia br made the object of
some marvellous manifestations follow
img All abstinence ~ extraordinary.
ten days after he thus began to lose